7mm WSM for plains game

Tomsbass · Apr 2, 2010

I have a 7mm WSM that I love, and I think it would be an ideal rifle for most African plains game hunting. It is small and easy to shoot, quite powerful, and very accurate if you use the right ammo. But there is a problem: its accuracy depends entirely on using the ammo that the gun likes, and the only bullets it seems to like are Nosler ballistic tips in 140gr. I keep reading that for African game, you should shoot heavy bullets, like at least 180gr. Also, I wonder if the ballistic tips are even legal in some countries. I would hate to have to get a different rifle for my African hunt just because I need to be able to shoot heavier soft nose bullets. I am confident that I could drop anything on the small side with my current rig - springbok, impala, etc. but I wonder about kudu, gemsbok, and the other big plains animals. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this subject?

gillettehunter · Apr 2, 2010

I'm sure that some others with more experience will chime in. I have a 25-06 that is like your 7mm. Likes the ballistic tips. They are fine on thin skinned and smaller animals. Mine is perfect on pronghorn. I wouldn't use it on a Kudu or a Gemsbuck. Too big and tough. That bullet tends to expand rapidly and would not penetrate the shoulder if you need to shoot him there. How many different bullets have you tried? It gets pricey to try a selection of bullets, but if its the gun you want to take then I'd do it. If you have a friend w/ one that does some reloading, maybe you can swap some bullets to try. The Barnes tipped TSX work VERY well in 2 of my guns. Maybe one of the Hornady's would work. The ballist tip just doesn't penetrate well enough to use on bigger African antelope. Best of luck. At least thats my opinion and I do use them. I had some 165 gr in my .300WSM for Africa. Only used that on smaller animals. Bruce

Skyline · Apr 3, 2010

I have used the Ballistic tip a great deal and have observed a lot of kills with it. I would NOT use it for the larger plains game you mention. You do not mention what the other bullets are that you have tried that did not work in that rifle. As mentioned, the Barnes TSX or TTSX will certainly do the job as will a number of others but without knowing what does not work in your rifle, we are kind of spinning our wheels.

You may want to consider trying the new Nosler 140 grain E-tip.

enysse · Apr 3, 2010

I got to agree, I love the ballistic tips for deer, but gemsbok and kudu are tough. I like the accubonds in heavier weights, the E-tip, Hornady Interbonds, TSX, TTSX, Swift A....something that holds together better.

speedbump · Apr 3, 2010

Since a Ballistic Tip is similar in ogive dimension to an Accubond, you might start out with a 160gr Accubond. That bullet out of a 7WSM should do well. The others mentioned are go-to bullets as well.

Tomsbass · Apr 3, 2010

Thanks for your input, guys. I did try the 160gr. accubonds, and they were terrible. In my .300 Win Mag, the 180gr. accubonds work great. Go figure. I really don't remember which other bullets I tried, since it has been a while. But I did try a few, mostly 150-170 grain weights. I will try the Barnes, and if they don't work out I may just have to take my .300.

RichP · Apr 6, 2010

I took my 300 ultra mag to Tanzania for the plains game portion of my hunt. I had always used the swift scirocco 180 grains for the rifles. They are super accurate. Everything I took was a one shot kill and resulted in most animals dropping in their place. I took nyasa wildebeest, zebra, impala, lichtenstein hartebeest, and warthog with that rifle. The biggest issue I see with the ballistic tips is that they destroy the cape at the exit wound. I have since switched over to hunting with a 375 for almost all plains game with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws and Trophy Bonded solids for the pigmy antelope as I am typically around dangerous game when hunting for plains game. It is a great feeling having a more firepower behind you if needed. For the larger stuff I use the 470 or 416 Rigby with the same Trophy Bonded bullets. Since you are shooting a 7mm which is smaller than my 300UM, the ballistics should work fine, but I would test out something more tried and true that you could shoot through brush if necessary.

Smitty · Jun 9, 2022

I took my 7mm rem. mag to Africa, and shot 8 animals to include Kudu, Gemsbok, Blue and Black Wildebeest. I used Barnes TSX 160s and they did a great job. Just my 2 cents worth.

mdwest · Jun 9, 2022

I had a win70 7mm WSM that was insanely accurate with hand loads … shot several Africa appropriate bullets well (ttsx, partitions, etc)…

Ultimately I traded it away because factory ammo and brass were both difficult to find and were expensive…

I’ve regretted it ever since…

7mm WSM would make a finePG caliber I would think for just about everything up to the biggest animals (I’m sure some here would even use it on eland…but I think my upper limit would probably be blue wildebeest, zebra, etc)…

Firebird · Jun 9, 2022

I love when these old threads resurface-always fun to see what the op has done since then. Tomsbass didnt last long but a couple of those other guys still around and going strong.
not
Much chatter about the 7 wsm these days but I’m sure there are afew still getting it done.

Joker12 · Jun 9, 2022

Your rifle will work just fine for any plains game. Use good bullets and enjoy that wonderful place without worrying about your choice of rifle!

Rubberhead · Jun 9, 2022

My understanding is that Accubonds and Ballistic Tips are basically the same bullet the only difference is that the lead core in an Accubond is bonded to the copper jacket. There's a Youtube video were Federal shoots a 165 grain BT in .30-06 through moose hide and ballistic jell with a cow bone cooked in it. They said the were surprised that the BT held up and even cut through the bone. That being said, a 140 grain sizzling out of a 7mm WSM will probably come apart too easily at impact velocities. Long way to say, try the 140 grain Accubonds.

C.W. Richter · Jun 9, 2022

Used my 264 WSM for PG (including head shot giraffe) in Africa on nearly every trip for PG. Your 7mm is perfect. I'd suggest 160-175 gr Nos PTs or TTSXs, though due to longer, less dense Barnes they'll eat up powder space and fly a bit slower (if no long shooting, the .310 SD of the 175s is max penetrating power for .284s.) The 160 in 7 behaves more like a 140 in .264 (same SD), so I used 140s for smaller stuff and 160s on med-large stuff (eq. to the 175 in 7.) Good luck. No worries. The orig 7mm Rem is a proven PG rifle w/ PHs. It has much more steam than the 2506 mentioned above, due to considerably (50%+) heavier, higher SD bullets, greater V and the resulting E.

Marc Ret · Jun 9, 2022

Firebird said:
I love when these old threads resurface-always fun to see what the op has done since then. Tomsbass didnt last long but a couple of those other guys still around and going strong.
not
Much chatter about the 7 wsm these days but I’m sure there are afew still getting it done.

"Lazarus, come forth."

Hopefully the OP was able to sort things out in the last 12 years...

7mm WSM for plains game

Tomsbass

gillettehunter

Skyline

enysse

speedbump

Tomsbass

RichP

Smitty

mdwest

Firebird

Joker12

Rubberhead

C.W. Richter

Marc Ret

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